The amount of fentanyl seized at the U.S.–Mexico border in May from attempts to smuggle the drug into the United States has more than tripled since last year, according to the latest statistics from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
CBP data show that that last month, 951 pounds of fentanyl were seized by officers—up from 240 pounds in May last year. The amount of the drug snared by officers has been rising this year, with 945 pounds seized in January, 799 pounds in February, 660 pounds in March, and 886 pounds of fentanyl apprehended in April.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s blamed for an escalating overdose death rate in the United States. It’s most often manufactured in Mexico using chemicals supplied from China, and mixed with other narcotics to increase potency, as well as pressed into counterfeit pain pills commonly known as “Mexican oxys.”
In the past, fentanyl had mainly been mixed with heroin to boost the “high,” but now, it’s often pressed into small blue tablets and stamped with “M30” to closely match the color and markings of prescription oxycodone pills. Buyers may be unaware the pills contain fentanyl, of which a 2 mg dose can be fatal.
“President Biden’s open-border policies have paved the way for dangerous gangs and cartels, human traffickers, and deadly drugs like fentanyl to pour into our communities,” Abbott said.
“It’s really, really alarming,” Maltz said, adding that he anticipates the “crisis” at the southern border will continue “on this escalating path.”
He added: “It’s really sad, because I’ve been communicating with a lot of parents who have lost their young kids, especially to the counterfeit pills. And it’s all coming from Mexico.”
A group of more than 50 House GOP lawmakers has called on Biden to remove Vice President Kamala Harris from her border assignment, noting that Harris is yet to visit the area.
The vice president has said that she’ll visit the border at some point.
